Chapter 1: The Investigation
The Investigation is the first chapter of The Royal Trap visual novel. Summary Madeleine finds Prince Oscar in the Presentation Hall, facing accusations from the royal couple and the rival princes for the disappearance of Princess Cassidy. He explains that he was out on the garden with Princess Cassidy when someone knocked him unconscious. Madeleine attempts to steer suspicion away from Prince Oscar, but the king still believes that he and Duke Pherod are the prime suspects. He then sends everyone away to their rooms and commands that no one leave them. Madeleine decides to leave her room and investigate anyway. On her way, she meets the page again and introduces herself to be Dolores. With a little bribe, Dolores helps her to gain access to one of the guest's rooms to aid her search. The room to be searched is up to the player's choice. Madeleine does not find Princess Cassidy, and so she decides to return to her room. Instead of finding Prince Oscar, she is, instead, confronted by an intruder with a sword. After neutralizing the intruder, she finds that it is actually Prince Callum. He needs her aid, and he states that he only "sparred" with her to test if she would not freeze in crisis and could be reliable. Initially, Madeleine objects to his request. Prince Callum is quick to follow-up with a threat. He reveals Prince Oscar, gagged and tied up, and says that if she does not help him, he will slit Oscar's throat open. Choice menus Leaving the Room This conversation goes a little differently if Madeleine does not wear the necklace: This conversation also goes a little differently if Madeleine does not wear the necklace: Additionally, Madeleine also catches wind of the royal couple's conversation. The couple have strong suspicions that the kidnapping may be Grandessa Marie's plot to steal the throne again. They also worry that someone "may have discovered the truth about Cassidy and Caspian". Bribing Dolores This choice menu will not appear if the player did not choose to wear the necklace in the first place. Dolores will ask for money by default instead. This is one way of getting rid of the necklace in case the player wants to form an alliance with Prince Gaston. Searching Rooms Duke Pherod Madeleine finds it strange that the walls of Duke Pherod's room are barren, and hypothesizes that the duke may have been pilfering palace treasures. She searches around the room and finds a locked chest. Upon opening it, she is surprised to find three muskets, bayonets, balls and powder. She does not notice that the duke has found her, with a blade pointed at her face. The duke recognizes Madeleine as the "witless" princeling's attendant, and asks if she was sent to plant evidence. Madeleine argues that she was there to find Princess Cassidy, as he would have motive to kidnap the princess. She also asks why he travels with firearms, and he replies that it is only to protect himself and his company. He sheathes his dagger and tells Madeleine to leave. This is the room to choose if the player does not wish to form an alliance with Prince Nazagi or Prince Gaston. Prince Nazagi Madeleine finds bottles upon bottles of substances in the prince's room, unsettling her. The prince has had a dark reputation of being a farmakeist, and many believe him to carry a bounty of poisons. As she looks around, a shocked Prince Nazagi bumps into her, who proceeds to stress the pressure points in her shoulders as he interrogates her. It is only after a while that Madeleine realizes that the prince's panic was caused by her seeing his weakness: his visual impairment that requires him to wear spectacles. She convinces him that she is not there to spread gossip about his impairment. He lets her go, and allows her to search his room for the princess, finding none. In turn, he asks her how she gained access to his room. To form an alliance with Prince Nazagi, the player must tell him about Dolores. Prince Gaston Upon entering the prince's room, she finds Prince Gaston's maid, carrying a pink wig that heavily resembles Princess Cassidy's hair. Madeleine initially believes that Prince Gaston was the kidnapper and the maid used the wig to distract pursuers. However, this is not the case. Prince Gaston later reenters the room and is fascinated with Madeleine. He admits that he uses the wig so his maid, Colette, may role-play as Princess Cassidy for him to "practice" his fantasies on. Prince Gaston believes Madeleine to be a good soul (though Colette does not) and entrusts her with the rescue of Princess Cassidy. Prince Gaston will send Madeleine away if she is wearing the amber necklace, as he will believe that she is "pledged to another" and therefore being involved with each other would be wrong. Category:Chapter Category:Standard Chapter